The Young Greens National Committee has voted to unanimously support the student occupations at the universities of Sussex and Birmingham.

Young Greens: Birmingham and Sussex occupations are ‘inspirations to us all’

26 November 2013

Statement from the Young Greens National Committee

The Young Greens National Committee has voted to unanimously support the student occupations at the universities of Sussex and Birmingham.

These campaigners, in protesting against ideological attacks to education, are standing up for young people as a whole.

We express our full solidarity with those who are bravely occupying their campuses, fighting for free education, an end to privatisation and outsourcing, and justice for Higher Education workers.  

The committee voted on Tuesday night to back the actions of students at theUniversity of Sussex, who are now occupying their campus again as part of a sustained protest against privatisation of services. Despite widespread opposition from students and staff, the university is refusing to halt the outsourcing plans. We stand side by side with them.

Students at the University of Birmingham have been occupying their campus since the 20th November, now in defiance of a court injunction. They are calling for more power for students and staff in every level of university decision making. Like the Greens, they also call for a 10:1 pay ratio within the university and a Living Wage for all, as well as an Ethical Investment and Procurement Policy.

Following the University of Birmingham Green Students, we write to unequivocally offer our support for the campaign and to all those defying intimidation. Individuals involved in the occupation at Birmingham have, outrageously, been threatened with fines of tens of thousands of pounds. In rejecting these threats, Birmingham students are standing up for the vital right to protest.

These two occupations are inspirations to us all, and to the millions of young people across the country who believe that education should be a public good - not a commodity – and that students and staff should have a central say in running their own campuses for the benefit of all.

The Young Greens are proud to back these brave acts of opposition to the marketisation of our education system and send our best wishes and support. We call on Young Greens nationally to back these growing campaigns, and to get involved with their local struggles for fair pay, democracy and publicly-owned, universal and free education.

In solidarity,

Young Greens National Committee

Further Information

A representative from the Young Greens National Committee will be visiting the Sussex occupation in the coming days, and University of Birmingham Green Students continue to be involved.

Sussex students reoccupied the Bramber House Conference Centre on Tuesday night to protest and fight against the privatisation of services on campus, and the marketisation of higher education. The occupation is part of on-going actions at the University of Sussex by students and staff. More information here:http://sussexagainstprivatization.wordpress.com/ and here:https://twitter.com/occupy_sussex

University of Birmingham students occupied part of the Aston Webb Building on the evening of Wednesday 20th November, demanding that the University give students and staff a greater stake in decisions. They have barricaded themselves into the University’s Senate Chamber and have called for national support. More information here: http://www.defendeducationbrum.org and here:https://twitter.com/DefendEdBrum

For more information, quotes, interviews and comment pieces contactjosiah@youngreens.org.uk